Chocolate Sour Cream Cake
The secret ingredient to this incredibly rich and moist chocolate cake is sour cream! This chocolate sour cream cake is not only delicious, but it’s easy to make too.
This chocolate sour cream cake has been my favorite chocolate cake recipe for years. It bakes up light and moist with smooth, rich chocolate flavor and is so incredibly moist, light and tender.
Pair those incredible cake layers with a light and fluffy chocolate filling and tangy chocolate sour cream icing and you’ll think you’ve died and gone to heaven.
It’s a chocolate lover’s dream come true, for sure. But it’s also a fairly basic and uncomplicated recipe so it’s perfect for both big celebrations and simpler occasions. Try this easy sour cream cake today!
Why sour cream in a chocolate cake?
Thanks to its high fat content and acidity, sour cream adds moisture, body, and rise. It gives this cake a richer flavor, but also keeps it from drying out.
Simply put, sour cream is why this chocolate cake is so amazing!
So let’s get baking, shall we?
Ingredients you’ll need
Here are the ingredients you’ll need to gather to make the chocolate cake layers (full recipe at the bottom of this post):
- All-purpose flour
- Granulated sugar
- Unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch process)
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Sour cream
- Vegetable oil
- Eggs
- Brewed coffee
And here’s what you’ll need for the chocolate sour cream frosting and filling:
- Quality semi-sweet chocolate (can use chocolate chips or chopped chocolate bars)
- Sour cream
- Corn syrup
- Instant espresso powder (optional)
- Vanilla extract
- Heavy cream
How to make sour cream chocolate cake layers
This almost one-bowl cake is as simple as it gets. No stand mixer required!
- Sift dry ingredients. Use a fine mesh strainer to sift flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt into a large mixing bowl.
- Whisk wet ingredients. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the sour cream, vegetable oil, large eggs, and coffee.
- Add wet to dry. Pour wet ingredients into the bowl with dry ingredients and whisk until just combined, Scrape down sides. Do not overmix, a few lumps are okay.
- Divide into prepped cake pans. Grease cake pans and line bottoms with parchment paper. Divide batter mixture evenly between pans (do not fill pans more than 2/3 full).
- Bake and cool. Bake cakes in oven at 350°F for about 25-35 minutes (depending on pan size) until a toothpick inserted comes out with moist crumbs.
How to make chocolate frosting and assemble the cake
- Make frosting. Melt chocolate and espresso in a double boiler over medium heat, and cool slightly. Whisk in sour cream, corn syrup, and vanilla. Frosting will be thin, but will thicken as it cools. Stir occasionally for about 15-20 minutes until it’s a spreadable consistency.
- Make filling. Whip heavy cream till thick, then fold in 1 cup of the chocolate sour cream frosting.
- Assemble cake. Place one cake layer on plate or stand and cover with half of whipped chocolate filling. Repeat with remaining cake layers. Frost with the rest of the chocolate sour cream icing.
And, enjoy!
Tips for making the best chocolate cake
- If you’re new to baking layer cakes or need a little help, be sure to check out my complete guide for how to build a layer cake. It’s got everything you need to know!
- For the absolute best results, have the sour cream and eggs at room temperature before mixing the cake. This will help the ingredients combine better, which affects rise and texture.
- You can use either 8-inch or 9-inch cake pans. (These are the pans I have and love.) 8-inch pans will yield a taller cake, 9-inch will yield one that’s wider. I like to use three 8-inch pans, but you can also use more or less pans for a 2, 4, etc. layered cake. Note: never fill cake pans more than 2/3 full, or they may overflow in the oven.
- Do your cakes tend to stick to the inside of the pan? See how I prepare my cake pans so they come out clean every single time.
- If you need a little help frosting your cake like a (semi) pro, see my full tutorial.
FAQs for this recipe
I have not tested this recipe using an alternative to sour cream. However, you probably can substitute plain greek yogurt just fine. Make sure whatever you’re using is full-fat or made with whole milk (not light).
Coffee is used to enhance the chocolate flavor. And it really does make a difference in how chocolaty this cake is! This cake does not have a coffee flavor at all. If you aren’t a coffee drinker, keep instant coffee granules in your pantry, or pick up a cup from your local coffee shop. You can also substitute with water.
Yes, you can bake this sour cream chocolate cake in a bundt cake pan. Make sure pan is greased well with nonstick baking spray and flour and do not fill pan more than 2/3 full.
This sour cream chocolate frosting is basically a chocolate ganache, except that it has a pleasing tang from the sour cream. If you’d like an alternative, my easy fudge buttercream is also delicious.
Yes! The unassembled cake layers store very well. Wrap cake layers in plastic wrap and store in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer (double wrapped) for several months. Thaw in the fridge overnight before assembling.
For best results, I prefer to make the frosting and assemble the cake when I’m ready to serve.
I like to store assembled cakes in the fridge to keep them firm, fresh, and safe from little hands. They will be freshest within 2-3 days of assembly but can be stored for up to a week. Pull the cake out of the fridge and let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving.
More chocolate cake recipes
All of these chocolate cakes use this chocolate sour cream recipe as a base. I told you it was my favorite!
- Chocolate Sheet Cake
- Chocolate Rainbow Ice Cream Cake
- Oreo Dirt Layer Cake
- Chocolate Fudge Layer Cake
- Mint Chocolate Chip Cupcakes
Shop Tools for this Recipe
This recipe was originally published July 2012.
Chocolate Sour Cream Cake
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (110 grams)
- 2 ½ cup all-purpose flour (330 grams)
- 1 ¼ teaspoon salt (5 grams)
- 2 ½ teaspoon baking soda (11 grams)
- 2 cups granulated sugar (400 grams)
- 3 large eggs
- 1 ¼ cups sour cream (282 grams)
- 1 cup vegetable oil (267 ml)
- 1 ¼ cup coffee (295 ml)
For the icing:
- 15 ounces semi-sweet chocolate , chopped (425 grams)
- 1 ¼ teaspoon instant espresso , optional
- 2 cups sour cream , at room temperature (450 grams)
- ¼-½ cup light corn syrup (59-118 ml)
- ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
For the filling:
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup icing (above)
Instructions
To make cake layers:
- To make the cake, preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour three 8-inch or 9-inch cake pans and line bottoms with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda.
- In another bowl, whisk together eggs, sour cream, and vegetable oil. Add coffee and whisk until smooth.
- Add wet ingredients all at once to the dry ingredients and whisk until no streaks of dry ingredients remain. Do not overmix.
- Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cake pans and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 25-35 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove and place on a wire rack to cool completely.
To make filling and frosting:
- Melt the chocolate and instant espresso (if using) in a bowl placed over a pan of simmering water. Remove from heat and let cool for about 10 minutes.
- In another bowl, combine the sour cream, vanilla extract, and ¼ cup corn syrup. Add the melted chocolate and stir until smooth. Taste for flavor and add additional corn syrup a tablespoon at a time to reach the desired sweetness. (¼ cup was just the right amount for me.) The icing will have a thin consistency, but will continue to thicken as it cools to room temperature.
- To make the filling, beat whipping cream to medium peaks. Fold together with 1 cup of the chocolate sour cream frosting until combined.
To assemble the cake:
- Place one cake layer on a cake stand or plate and cover the top with half of the filling. Place another layer on top, followed by the rest of the filling.
- Frost cake with chocolate sour cream frosting as desired.. Store the cake in the fridge until ready to serve, along with any leftovers.
85 Comments on “Chocolate Sour Cream Cake”
Looks absolutely delicious! I would so love to try some. I reckon I would polish the lot off in 5 minutes flat!
Your cake looks great, I’m planning on making it tomorrow for my husbands birthday. I’m from Australia, we don’t use corn syrup here, what could I use instead. We have Golden Syrup which has the consistency of honey, but made from sugar cane, do you think that will do.
Incredible cake, simply makes me drool..
Looks very glossy and smooth. ‘Pweety ‘pweety I say. Thanks for posting
You forgot to mention how beautiful this cake is. Your sister is one lucky gal, it’s stunning, Annalise. I love a good chocolate cake and this looks like it would be the perfect accompaniment to a cold glass of milk and a good gossip magazine!
Oh man, this post is reminding me that I haven’t had chocolate cake in ages!
I’m always on the lookout for a good chocolate cake recipe – I have to try this one. It sure looks gorgeous!
I made this cake yesterday and took it into work for a friend’s birthday. It is ridiculous how delicious this cake is! It is by far the best cake I have ever made… and I make a lot of cake. {I love cake}. It is heavenly and chocolately… are those the same thing? Plus it is super easy to make and I already had all the ingredients.
Thank you for this recipe! I am making a small cake for my wedding to cut at the reception (we are having a cupcake tower for the main event). I will be using your recipe!
Thanks so much for coming back to tell me how much you like this cake. You made my day!
I absolutely loveee this cake, but my mum hates chocolate. Any way to swap the cocoa power and coffee out of this to make it more of a vanilla cake?
Thanks heaps xx
If you’re looking for something other than chocolate, I’ve got a lot in my archives! Just search the recipe index.
wow so fabulous! Can’t wait to see you next week!
I haven’t made this yet but I want to. Can you taste the coffee in it? Bad as I hate to say it the taste of coffee just turning my tummy and makes me sick as a dog. What could be substituted for the coffee?
You absolutely can’t taste the coffee, it just helps to bring out the chocolate flavor. I hope you’ll try it with the coffee, but water could be substituted.
Can u tell me how much of the ingredients in the frosting and the cake?
I want to make it as quick as possible…
Wait… Never mind….. Thanks soooo much!!! Ur awesome!
I made this cake and it’s simply wonderful. I also made a modified version for a Super Bowl party, using a 13 x 9 pan with a cream cheese frosting. Everyone raved about it…very moist and delicious.
“Chocolate Sour Cream Cake | Completely Delicious” was
in fact a good post and I personally was in fact very
content to discover it. Thanks for the post,Jenifer
Did you double your recipe with your cake coz mine was way too thin compared to yours. Thanks.
Can I use self-raising flour and not use the baking powder and bicarbonate soda?
Maybe, but I haven’t tried it!
This cake was delicious! Moist, fluffy, and chocolaty. I’ve never made a cake from scratch, and it was surprisingly easy. I made it with the peanut butter cream frosting, and it was enjoyed by all!
Yay! So glad you enjoyed it!
Very delicios cake! We are just enjoying it for my birthday 🙂
Do you think baking powder can be used in place of the baking soda I did not dare to try…
Usually frosting that is NOT cream cheese based is just glops of sugary Crisco, and is utterly oily disgusting. I always wipe it off. How does the sour cream frosting compare to cream cheese frosting?
Well, it’s definitely not cream cheese buttercream and isn’t at all like your typical buttercream since there’s not sugar in the recipe. It’s super chocolaty and the sour cream gives it a smooth texture and tangy flavor. I absolutely love it. Give it a try!
I’m not usually a chocolate cake fan, but since finding this recipe almost 2 months ago, I’ve made this cake 6 times…everyone just loves it!!
Love the softness of the cake ! But I wish it could be more chocolatey
Thank you very much for Sharing the recipe
Your cake and the photo are all wonderful! Beautifully presented.
I’m going to make this cake as cupcakes. I like the addition of the coffee but I will definitely be cutting back on the sugar. I don’t like oversweet desserts of any kind, including cakes. Other than that, sounds yummy! ;<)
Has anyone made this in a bundt pan as a pound cake? I am curious as to how that would turn out.
Yes! This recipe is originally a bundt cake recipe, and I just adapted it to be a layer cake. It is fabulous either way! To make as a bundt, follow recipe exactly and bake in 1 bundt pan instead of 2 cake pans. Drizzle the icing on top. Enjoy!
Baked this yesterday and have eaten 3 pieces already !!
Absolutely my new chocolate cake recipe for all occasions…so chocolaty with the coffee making it the richest most delicious cake I have ever made. Thank You for sharing this one, didn’t try the frosting yet but will next time…hubby wanted a vanilla frosting this time.
What should be the percentage of fat of sour cream?
I always use full-fat dairy products in my baking for optimal flavor. You may be able to use low-fat and be okay, but since I’ve never tried it I couldn’t say for sure.
…dry, and the icing became a war between the semi-sweet chocolate, and the sour cream…thanks for posting the recipe though….good thing we all have our own taste…..wont make it again….
Definitely NOT dry.
This is the first cake I’ve ever made from scratch.
It was a little bitter/not sweet…I may have added extra cocoa powder because I’m a chocolate junkie.
The texture and moisture were perfect.I did have to cook longer thanrecommended by about 7 minutes.
Thanks so much!
I made this cake today and there was too much batter for 8 inch pans.
We are a gluten and egg free household, so I tried Tom Sawyer’s gluten free flour in place of regular flour and ener-g egg replacer instead of the eggs. Also used coconut oil in place of veg oil and it turned out terrific. I also added chopped walnuts. So yummy! Makes great cupcakes too. 1/2 the recipe will make about 12-14 cupcakes. Thanks!!
Cake and frosting were delicious! Very rich, chocolate cake with velvety, smooth chocolate frosting. My new favorite chocolate cake. I’m going to try to adapt recipe to make a vanilla cake (hold the chocolate…) Thanks! I appreciate you sharing!
So happy to hear you enjoyed the cake. Thanks, Melissa!
I’ve made this cake 10 times, and while I’ve always overdone the cocoa powder I learned to add more sugar.It’s prefect every time.tonight I baked cupcakes for all my September birthday students. They’ll love em.
Hi, this recipe looks fantastic and I can’t wait to try it. I was just wondering…the “velvety, silky smooth” frosting sounds glorious, but is it stiff enough to pipe? If I was to use it on cupcakes for example, or wanted to pipe a more elaborate border with it? Thanks for your help!
Hi Jennifer! The frosting actually needs to be firmed up in the fridge before it can be used at all. So just chill it as long as necessary to get the consistency you’d like. If you go with cupcakes, I would store them in the fridge until you’re ready to serve, particularly if your home/kitchen is warm. But in general I have never had an issue with piping this frosting. It holds up beautifully!
Made this cake for my daughter’s 21st birthday party. Everyone raved about it. Tonight I am making it for my son’s birthday. 🙂
Is there any substitute for cornsyrup or do you mind sharing the reciepe of corn syrup? Thank you
Can u use cake flour for this recipe? I have made your southern coconut cake and it was great!!
Yes, you should be able to use cake flour with similar results.
This is my absolutely favourite chocolate cake recipe now…. I find it hard to even contemplate using anything else. I have used it for kid’s cakes, cupcakes (especially delicious with salted caramel buttercream) and wedding cakes…..
Although not surprised given every one of your recipes I have tried from the site has been completely delicious!
This was my first cake from scratch! I made it for my son’s 3rd birthday party today, and it turned out SO GOOD!!! Lots of compliments! Thank you!!!
Yay! I’m so happy to hear this cake turned out so well for you. It’s one of my favorites!
Hi,
Could you please let me know which cake tastes better in your opinion. This or the chocolate coffee cake?
Many thanks,
Jay
Hi Jay! It’s all a matter of personal preference. The cake layers themselves are pretty much the same, so it comes down to whether you want a coffee flavored frosting or a chocolate frosting. I love both!
Question: the cake recipe calls for hot coffee…what if I just use hot water? would that be alright? I don’t know how to make coffee…I’m not a coffee drinker…
Yes, that will be fine. The coffee is there to enhance the flavor of the chocolate, not give the cake a coffee flavor. You could always pick up a cup of black coffee from your local coffee shop. However, you can also just choose to leave it out.
This is a wonderful chocolate cake recipe. I have been trying to find a good chocolate cake recipe but every time it turned out too dry.
Thank you for sharing!
Hi Jennifer! I’m so happy to hear you like this cake recipe. It’s my favorite chocolate cake for that very reason! 🙂
Hi there, how long does this cake last? If I wantedo make and ice for a wedding?
Thank you for an awesome recipe!! The cake is amazing! It is the first time I have made a chocolate cake that was so moist!!
Will definitely be making this again!
Hi! I’ve been looking for a frosting recipe without butter and am so glad I found yours! Sour cream isn’t easily available in my place, so is it possible to use plain, unsweetened yoghurt instead? Also I do not have corn syrup, what can I best substitute it with? Thanks!
Hi Banana man, I’m not Annelise but I’ve baked with sour cream and yogurt before and would say that yogurt is thinner than sour cream usually is. Can you find strained, Greek-style yogurt to use? I’ve used Greek-style yogurt successfully in other recipes before.
Loved the cake. Fluffy and moist. Probably will try with a different frosting . This frosting was good, did frost easily and looked fantastic but prefer a lighter ( not as dense) frosting.
I don’t often return to baking recipes I’ve found online. I usually like to try different things. This cake is a different story! I make it at least once a year for either my mum or my boyfriend’s birthday, sometimes both. If anyone ever asks me for a classic, rich chocolate cake, this is the one to make. I’ve heard from multiple people that it’s the best they’ve ever had. So I have to give you credit for this recipe because I’ve been making it for years and I just love it. Thank you!
This is a beautiful cake. Moist and flavoursome and comes together easily. I have also made it into cupcakes which works well and makes 25-30 depending on size of papers.
Can cake be made with TWO 8″ or 9″ pans? Your photo shows a 3-layer cake, but the recipe states TWO pans. Thanks!
Just checked and the recipe says 3! But you can always adjust cakes to be a different amount of layers, you’ll just also need to adjust baking times.
Tried this for the first time yesterday and fell in love. It was super fun and easy to make, the cake was sponge-y and moist and the frosting was velvet smooth and it all tasted amazing! Thanks for this recipe, will definitely make again!
I made this cake for the first time yesterday for my nephews birthday and it was a hit. Chocolaty but not too sweet. Simple to make with ingredients that were already in my pantry. Now everyone wants one for their special occasion. Even I can’t wait to make it again.
Why did you change this recipe? It always came out perfect every time I made it the way you had it before? Now I have to search through screenshots to find the original recipe when I want to make this.
Unless I’m mistaken, the only thing I changed was how I put the ingredients together. All ingredients and amounts are the same. I found the instructions a bit cumbersome before, the new way is much easier for me now and yields the same great result. I’ve been baking it this way for years and finally thought I’d improve it for everyone else! I hope this recipe still works for you as written, but would love your feedback.
Looks amazing and hoping to bake this week. I was hoping to cover in fondant will it be structurally strong enough for this do you know?
It’s a pretty sturdy cake, so probably! But I haven’t tested that myself.
This was a HUGE hit! I will be making it again soon! Thank you <3
Oh My Gosh!!! this was HORRIBLE!!!!! I should have double checked the sugar and coco amount, but my heavens! It was basically coco powder and sour cream that’s it.
only thing that really saved it was the buttercream.
Either half the Coco, or add more sugar or maybe even brown sugar to give it a slight caramel taste.
Hi 👋🏼, I have made this cake for past few years and I am curious to know why you changed the method? I cant imagine it being any more perfect before the change… so I decided to ask to see if I am missing something?
Hi Raynell! I’ve been making it this new way for years on my own, and have found that the cake still turns out awesome this way, and it’s just easier. Same ingredients, but you just mix it differently. Hope this helps!
Hi Annalise.. I tried it .. you are right.
Still delightful🤓
But how much of each ingredient?
All recipe information is in the recipe card at the bottom of my post. Hope this helps!
Today is my birthday and the cake I ordered didn’t arrive on time. I made this recipe last minute, randomly I had ALL of the ingredients, including the espresso powder, it us baking season after all. This cake turned out amazing!! Family Raved about it. I make ugly cakes so it doesn’t look great, but it is probably the best cake I’ve ever made
OMG OMG OMG finally I found a great recipe. Super delicious! Thank you
Delicious
I made the Chocolate Sour Cream cake it was FABULOUS!
I am always looking for something different for my hubby to try, so for his birthday I decided to try your recipe and it ticked all the boxes. It’s the easiest cake to make, I was skeptical about the coffee but it was amazing. The flavor was like a full body chocolate explosion but then the coffee was hitting you at the end which left your palette with a clean satisfying taste.
Regards Butter
Such a wonderful recipe. Makes lots of dirty dishes but oh SO worth it. Best chocolate cake I’ve ever had.
The sour cream makes this a super moist chocolate cake, and simple to pull together. I also loved the frosting for that slight sour cream tang, which doesn’t take away from how dense the chocolate flavor is. Absolutely making this one again!
I made the cake base, and it was delicious. Light, airy, moist, and lots of chocolate flavor. I was worried it would be overly sweet with 2 cups of sugar, but it was just right. I didn’t get a chance to make the frosting because I forgot to buy the semi-sweet chocolate, but I’ll have to come back and try that!